Re: Turning GNU into a bottom-up organization

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   One of the issues we have to face is that Richard sometimes acts in
   an authoritative kind of way over issues he doesn't have, or the
   community doesn't give him, authority of.

He does have that authority, it has been explained over and over and
over again.

   And that is a problem for everybody.

It is a problem only for those who do not understand that the GNU
project is not, and has never been, a democratic project.

   But it is also unfair to say he always does that. As you describe so
   nicely in your message below there are lots of groups in GNU that work
   almost completely autonomous.

It is far more unfair to paint that he uses his authority in such a
unfair manner when that is not at all the case.  It is very seldom
that RMS will take a strong stance on issues, indeed had he done this
more _often_ then we wouldn't be having this misunderstanding and
mischaracterisation of how the GNU project is governed.

   Yes! Thank you. I think it is crucial to be more public and vocal about
   this. We are all in this together and most of us don't just hack on
   some code and don't care about anything else. All these GNU volunteers
   are stakeholders in any governance discussion with their own
   responsibilities and authority to make certain decisions.

Those decisions are for technical matters, not political ones.